Morgan's 2004 Ford Ranger Build

[2004xlmiller]

been a bit since i posted a real update..

another pic from the garage, cage, etc.




pismo






huckfest wasnt all that great as an event, but a good beautiful weekend in SLO made up for it, along with great company.


so as of now im sitting on a few parts wondering if i should waste my time installing them on an a arm truck. obs powerstrokes are calling my name as well...

 

[2004xlmiller]

found time to get off tapatalk so heres a real picture update lol.
new inner and outter tie rods


fuel pump has been replaced


a buddys little drift miata im helping him build.




finally sprayed the glass! rattle canned so its nowhere near perfect. i knew what i was getting and it came out good enough for me.






spun out and wrecked it on the first oily rain we had out here. was working an hour away when it happened. messed up and bent a rim, bent an axle shaft.


what better time for a rear end rebuild than replacing an axleshaft.






new bearings and seals


buttoned up


new goodies... have 2 installed and need to wait for rent to buy the other 2.

 

[2004xlmiller]

few more updates:

new front bumper:
before


during










after


got some work done on the cage, going to redo the mounts.


new headunit


pulled bedsides:
before


after


basically what i started with 3.5 years ago






16in FOA's

 

[Ranger4219]

Just looking at my list getting bigger for my 99 std cab splash 2wd pre-runr Interesting how wife gets angry while I am so happy. So odd .........

 

[2004xlmiller]

my tire gate got redesigned to be a laydown to be used with my shell and still keep weight over the rear. other than that, found a leaky main seal ill have to deal with soon. been putting off a clutch as long as i can since its my dd and ill have a few other things to tend to while the tranny is out.






also, deavers are too mainstream. i loved the way the 64s rode, so i found another set. an arched set. these are built with ranger leafs and chevy leafs. arched 12in iirc. these leafs were originally on alec n's truck, made their way up to yuba and now (after cramming them into the gf's lexus), theyre mine. they need some work. ill be breaking down the pack and painting everything, the center pins were a little jacked so a bigger 7/16th pin will be going in. still thinking on how im going to make or weld on "straps" or whatever you want to call them so the leafs dont separate or move. these should handle the weight the rear end of my truck sees a little better than the f31s, which are too soft for my liking. although i have a fairly used set.

 

[2004xlmiller]

well, i tested my bumper friday morning on the way to work.


was changing lanes in roll and go traffic, checked my blind spot and when i looked back traffic had locked up and i was in the guys trunk. fuuucked this poor nissan up. i scratched my bumper.. he had no valid license and i think his insurance was phony. time will tell.


possible location for the gas can, clears everything on the swing out and shell.






2.0x8 FOA's for the front.


what am i doing... trucks are dumb.

 

[2004xlmiller]

well i finally found time to download all the pics from my phone. so heres an update on the last few weeks.

i last left off installing the arched 64s i got, those went in with plated kartek hangers and plated stock shackles with a bigger poly bushing. the pack feels amazing, very happy with the results. also installed the longer steel braided line to the axle, from kartek.




well i had a set of really nice PRP buckets, for about 3 weeks. awesome seats and i loved the way they held you while driving, but nowhere near friendly enough for a dd. i sold them and will be putting the cash towards a new bedcage.


replaced the LCA's for brand new ones with fresh ball joints and bushings.


some other random glamor shots.














well now im committed.








still managed to get a somewhat good amount of firewood in. bedcage will be completed in about a week..






thats all for now..

 

[2004xlmiller]

BUMP

got the rear frame boxed, stiffened up the handling alot. its nice to use your suspension travel and ONLY your suspension travel, not frame flex.



with that done i could get the old bumper welded back on. used to be a bolt on till i switched to drop hangers and couldnt mount the bumper anymore. i missed this thing for 6 months while it sat. finally, its back.


randoms from the fresno statewide meet, jan '14.
bwad and i have been doing this a long time now.. since the first norcal meet like 4 years ago.








came back with some 06 tails, think i want these nightshaded as well. guess ill get to it when i have time.


bed supports, a must if you beat your truck offroad.


after testing it a little in fresno, i needed to get the rear strapped asap. strapped right before shackle bind.




painted the bedcage


fire extinguisher on a BTF quick release mounted.


yay bedspace


to stay legal and not attract attention from the po po i whipped up a license plate light bracket real quick. about 30min said and done and painted. 2 LED strips underneath, very visible, officer...


moved from sacramento to san luis obispo.


but before i left i stopped in a norcal motor company and picked up my last 2 method double standards. got those installed as soon as i was done moving.




randoms:








and last night i got my trim finished, way better IMO than jagged sharp sheet metal edges.




thats all for now..

 

[MastuhWaffles]

Cool, I need to get stuff like that done on my truck, surprisingly its been holding up well for taking jumps and stuff.

 

[Kevery]

Looks good dude. I real would like to make it to one of those Fresno meets one of these years. It's really not that far.

 

[2004xlmiller]

we'll be planning the june meet shortly.

 

[2004xlmiller]

picked up a Camburg 5.5 kit from a DR member Friday evening. It got installed first thing Saturday morning.

after a good cleaning and inspection, i got a great deal. very little, if any, dirt miles.






aligned it myself to at least get it on the road. going from lift spindles to camburg ones leaves you with alot of toe-in. the camber needs to be set but its close enough to drive for a day or so till i can get it aligned for real.

 

[2004xlmiller]

Wes at Poly Performance was kind enough to lend his driveway and some of his tools for the installation. We spent the day working in the rain but got tons done on my truck as well as his fast and furious commuter.

some pics of the trucks at the nights end.

 

[2004xlmiller]

another quick bump..

got some testing in for the front end in Pismo with a group of friends. she handled it great and i cant wait to get the 2.0s on up front. drew up some designs for the brackets a few days ago. just need to go cut em out.











got the dust light mounted and wired.







replaced the lower ball joints yesterday because the ones pressed into the partsgeek.com replacement arms, dont have ribbing to keep them pressed into the arm. they became super loose and sketch to drive on. replaced them with ones fitted with zerks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tot3fWTr4&feature=youtu.be



and just for shits and giggles.. she looked hawt on valentines day.. gf did too.. shes seen here blocking the truck pic i tried to take.

 

[2004xlmiller]

bump

drooped it out at school a few weeks ago.






decided to throw a few pictures of my trailer in here since its probably going to follow me on a few camping trips this summer. its a 1953 m-100 jeep trailer. towed it to sac from SLO as it sat (cracked tires, sketch wiring), and it did ok. tore it all down, redid all the bearings (couldnt find replacements, but they were timkens and they looked to be in good shape so they were repacked and put back in.), and got some new wheels and tires for it. also installed all brand new wiring and lights.
when i got it.


now



i plan on cutting off the tall sides as they arent original. ill make new ones that are removable. probably gonna paint it at some point.

trading my 16s for 14s to see if theyll cycle better with more bump travel. also getting my tax check tomorrow, thatll get put towads a few unspoken upgrades. thats all for now.